A San Diego Police Department officer shot and killed a suspect Friday afternoon in Oak Park, the department confirmed.
The shooting occurred near Krenning Street and 54th Street at around 3:45 p.m.
Two officers were trying to make contact with a male suspect and the suspect became agitated, according to SDPD Lt. Matt Dobbs.
The suspect ran from the two officers and was at one point in the middle of traffic lanes on 54th Street. One of the officers caught up with the suspect on the parallel 54th Frontage Street and a fight ensued, Lt. Dobbs said.
As the suspect and officer fought, the suspect began pulling at the officer's service weapon and ended up pulling the officer's gun and holster off of his belt.
The officer fighting with the suspect alerted his partner to what the suspect was doing, and the second officer fired a single shot at the suspect, Dobbs said.
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The officers gave first aid to the suspect until medics arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene and has not yet been identified.
Lt. Dobbs described him as a Hispanic male in his 30s or 40s.
Neither officer, both assigned to SDPD Southeast Division, were injured. Their names or tenure with the department have not been released.
Witness Marcus Arenas told NBC 7 he saw the suspect drinking, dancing and singing on the sidewalk prior to the altercation with police.
"It's pretty sad. Life can change in minutes," Arenas said.
Witness Carlitos Figueroa saw the suspect sprint into the street where he had to doge multiple cars. The officers eventually tackled him near the sidewalk and tried to restrain him with holds and taser shots, Figueroa said.
As the officers and suspect wrestled on the ground, Figueroa said he saw the suspect extend his arm holding some sort of object. At that point, he said an officer backed off, pulled his service weapon and fired.
Lt. Dobbs could not confirm whether or not the suspect was on the ground at the time he was shot, or where specifically on his body he was struck.
No other information was available.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
